


Space Dads Deserve Love, Too

by WildWolf25



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Background Relationships, Multi, Polydins, Salt, really it's more about having each other's backs, the paladins are founders of the Shiro Protection Squad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 08:36:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11009829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildWolf25/pseuds/WildWolf25
Summary: While on a supply run at a trading planet, a rude alien has some choice words about Shiro and his connections with the other paladins.  The rest of them are furious when they find out.





	Space Dads Deserve Love, Too

**Author's Note:**

> I’d like to dedicate this to all the Shaladin haters out there. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have the spite to write this. *drops mic*  
> *picks up the mic again* no but really, actually dedicated to all the Shaladin shippers out there. You guys are troopers for standing up to all the undeserved hate.
> 
> Teeny warning, the alien hater, a species which I shall call the Anonians, throws the word “pedophilia” around once or twice, but it’s an incorrect use of the term, much like a certain argument on tumblr. To quote Keith, “I don’t think you’re using that word correctly”

“Now remember, we’re here to restock our supplies.”  Shiro said seriously.  The group of them were standing at the edge of an alien marketplace on a trading planet.  “This is not just a fun shopping trip.”

 “Yes sir, no fun,” Lance saluted. 

 “You can have fun, just make sure you’re focusing on buying useful supplies.”  Shiro told him.  “We’re not here to spend all our money on neat alien knicknacks that we don’t need.  That includes neat alien tech.”  He gave Pidge and Hunk a pointed look.  

 “Gotcha, space dad.”  Lance said.  Shiro arched an eyebrow at him.  

 “And try to keep flirting to a minimum.”  He said, looking specifically at Lance.  “We don’t want a repeat of what happened with Nyma and Rolo.”  

 Keith snickered and Lance turned red.  “That was _one time_.”  

 “It was one time too many, and we’re lucky we managed to get the blue lion back.”  Shiro reminded him.

 “Yeah, Lance, don’t disappoint space dad.”  Hunk elbowed his friend.  

 “You got just got dad-lectured.”  Keith elbowed him on the other side, smirking.  

 “Shiro, they’re picking on me!”  Lance pouted.

 Shiro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Oh for the love of… Keith, Hunk, stop teasing Lance.  Lance, don’t flirt with anyone you don’t know who they’re allied with.  Pidge, I see you eyeing up that tech merchant’s stall, don’t even think about it.  Everyone go find some supplies.”  

 “Now who got dad-lectured?”  Lance bumped Keith’s shoulder as they walked away.  Pidge sidled up to Shiro, tucking themselves under his arm.  

 “Yes?”  Shiro asked, looking down at them.

 “You know, we’re pretty close to some Galra-held territories.”  Pidge said, wrapping an arm around his waist.  “I bet that tech merchant has at least one or two Galra devices.  Could get some useful information, if they were to come into our hands.  Just food for thought, you know.”  

 Shiro tilted his head as he thought about it.  He sighed.  “Alright.  You get one.  And don’t tell Lance.”  

 “Yesss,” Pidge squeezed him.  “Is it because I’m your favorite?”

 “I don’t have favorites.  That would be unfair.”  Shiro said carefully.

 “But if you did, would I be your favorite?”  Pidge pressed.  “Hypothetically, of course.”  

 “You made a compelling argument about the tech.”  Shiro reminded them.  “Now go get your one useful Galra device before I change my mind.”  

 Pidge giggled and pulled him down to press a kiss to his cheek.  “Thanks, space dad!”  They waved as they ran off.

 Shiro shook his head fondly.  

 “It’s amusing how they all call you ‘space dad’.”  Allura said, coming up behind him.  

 “I guess it’s sort of inevitable, considering I’m the leader.”  Shiro sighed.  “Someone’s got to keep everyone in line.”  

 “Do you mind?”  

 “Not really.”  Shiro said.  “It’s more of a running joke than anything else.  And, I think some of it stems from a desire for some sense of normalcy and family out here.  We all left families and homes behind on Earth, and sometimes it all feels so surreal.  I mean, we’re fighting a war, but we’re all just… well, not exactly kids, but we don’t really feel like adults yet either.”

 Allura hummed.  “I know what you mean.  It’s difficult to be thrust into this sort of war at such a young age.  Aside from Coran, we’re all just young adults.”  

 Shiro nodded.  “Anyway, none of them see me as their actual father figure.  I’m barely older than them; pretty much the only reason I ended up being the leader is because I had more experience dealing with the Galra.  If you count being imprisoned by them for a year as ‘experience dealing with them’, that is.”

 “From what I’ve heard, most Earthlings are unaware of the existence of life outside of Earth at all.  Even just knowing who the Galra were was -- at the time you all found the blue lion -- more of an advantage than not.”  Allura said.  “And regardless of what you think, Shiro, you _do_ have the makings of a natural leader.  The black lion chose you for a reason.”

 “I suppose…” Shiro sometimes doubted how well he was suited to lead Voltron, but he also knew their options were limited.  He just had to have faith in his lion’s judgement at choosing him to be her paladin, and strive to work hard on what he viewed as his own faults so that he could better protect his team, and the universe at large.  That was… a daunting task, to say the least, but at least he knew he didn’t have to do it alone.    

 “Shiro, look!”  Pidge came running back holding what looked like a small purple panel of glass.  “I found an encrypted Galra tablet!  The merchant didn’t think it was valuable because no one has been able to unlock it, so he said it was probably broken or useless.  I bet I can crack the code on it, though!”  

 “Really?”  Shiro looked at it.  “That’s cool, Pidge.  Good find.”  

 They stepped closer, grinning slyly.  “Hey.”

 “Yes?”  Shiro chuckled.  He recognized this look.  

 “I don’t have pockets.”  Pidge said.

 “Do you want me to hold it for you?”  Shiro asked, smiling.

 “That would be awesome.”  Pidge said, handing it over.  “Thanks, space dad!”  They gave him another peck on the cheek again before running off.  

 Shiro chuckled and tucked the tablet into one of the packs he wore on his hips.  “Reason number whatever why I’m space dad: I carry stuff.”  He told Allura.  

 “That does seem to be a useful feature of those.”  Allura laughed quietly.  

 “You’re disgusting.”  A sinister voice behind him spoke up.  Both of them whipped around to find a hooded gray alien standing there, hunched over and frowning.  “You’re sick, preying on such small children like that.”  

 “What?  No, I’m not--”

 “They call you their father, and yet you dare to be romantic with any of them?”  The alien spat.  “You sicken me.”  

 “But I’m not their father,” Shiro said.  “It’s just a joke--”

 “Pedophilia is hardly a joke!”  The alien raised their voice, making him jump a bit, startled.  They frowned.  “That small one just called you father and then kissed you.  Disgusting.”  

 “That’s not-- Pidge isn’t a child,” Shiro said.  How could anyone think that someone who was able to enlist at the Galaxy Garrison and train as a fighter pilot could be a child?  Even a forged profile wouldn’t be enough to get a person who visibly looked as young as a child into an elite astro-military institution without incurring heavy scrutiny.    

 “If you are their leader, you are in a position of power over them.”  The alien pointed one gray, knobby finger at him accusingly.  “You are abusing that power!”

 “I never asked to be a leader,” Shiro said.  “And I’m not abusing my power; they’re the ones making the jokes.”   

 “Only because you’ve corrupted them.”  The alien sneered.  “You would do well to stay away from them.”  The alien spat at his feet, then turned away and disappeared into the crowd.  Shiro stared after them, feeling shaken.  Were they right?  Was what he was doing wrong?  Of course the paladins sought each other out for comfort when they were homesick, or lonely, or trying to forget about the nightmares that plagued each of their dreams.  They were _human_ ; humans needed that sort of contact with each other.  It made sense, for the only humans outside of Earth to seek comfort in each other.  That was what they had all agreed, when they started this… whatever it was.  Sort-of-relationship-thing.  It was mostly team cuddles and forcing each other to go to bed or eat when someone forgot or was neglecting self-care.  They all had nightmares and fears, but they didn’t seem quite so large when they were surrounded by hands that were quick to reassure them and arms that were quick to hold them.

 But what if that was only true for the rest of them, not him?  Was it wrong, for him to seek the same comfort they did?  But wasn’t he human too?  Aside from his arm, he was still human… wasn’t he?  He had never wanted to be their leader, he had never asked for this; in the moment when Allura had declared him to be the black paladin, the head of Voltron, he had been terrified.  But hadn’t they all been?  They had all been ripped from their lives and thrust into this war; it had simply happened to Shiro a year before the rest of them.  He had shouldered his leadership somberly, the drive to protect those he cared about acting as the force to get him through one day to the next in this hell.  The thought of being cut off from everyone else, being forced to be _alone_ again, as alone as been when the Galra had separated him and Matt… the thought of being that alone again scared him more than he could ever put into words.

 “Shiro?”  Allura touched his shoulder, the contact making him jump.  “Don’t pay any mind to what that alien said.”

 “But… what if they’re right?”  Shiro took a step back.  “I don’t… god, Allura, I don’t deserve to be involved in what the rest of the paladins have.  I… I have to be their leader, I can’t…” 

 “Shiro, no, you deserve love too.  Don’t think otherwise.”  Allura told him firmly.  Shiro shook his head.

 “What’s this about Shiro not deserving love?”  Keith’s voice came from behind Shiro, startling him again.  

 “N-nothing, don’t worry about it--” Shiro tried to say, but Keith cut him off.

 “What happened?”  His gaze flicked over to Allura, demanding answers.

 “Some alien started giving Shiro a hard time.”  Allura explained.  

 “No, they were completely right.”  Shiro said.  “I shouldn’t… I can’t…”

 Keith slowly lifted his hands and grabbed Shiro’s shoulders, holding him firmly but keeping his movements steady and easy to anticipate.  “Shiro, I don’t know what they said to you, but stop thinking that way.”

 “I’m not--”

 “Yes you are, I can tell.”  Keith said.  “You’re going down that negative spiral again.”  

 “Who’s going down a negative spiral?”  Hunk asked, approaching the group with Lance.  The two of them were carrying bags of food supplies they had bought.  

 “Shiro is.”  Keith said, drawing him in for a hug.  

 “Uh-oh, do we need to have a paladin cuddle pile when we get back to the ship?”  Hunk asked, frowning.  

 “No,” Shiro said quickly.  “That’ll just make it worse.  I can’t do things like that with you guys.”

 “Some alien creep accused Shiro of being a pedophile.”  Allura explained, while Shiro buried his face in his hands.

 Hunk and Lance’s faces morphed into anger.  “ _What_?!”  

 “Who was it?”  Keith said, drawing his bayard.

 “Keith, no, put that away.”  Shiro said.  “It’s fine, really--”  

 “No it’s not!”  Lance looked actually angry, which was rare for the easygoing blue paladin.  “Why the hell would they say that to you?”

 “They heard everyone calling me dad, and Pidge gave me a kiss before they ran off.”  Shiro mumbled into his hands.  

 “So what?!  Hunk is team mom, and no one accuses him of being a pedophile!”  Lance gestured to Hunk.

 “I thought you dubbed me team mom?”  Allura asked, puzzled.

 “You’re space tiger mom.”  Lance said.  “And we’re all each other’s moms out here!  Everyone takes care of everyone!  That’s the whole point of the joke!”  He said, gesturing to all of them.  “Hunk is the mom-est of the group, though.  He makes us food and makes sure we’re getting enough rest.  But again, no one calls him a pedophile for it!”  

 “Who’s calling who a what now?”  Pidge asked, approaching the group with a bag full of spare mechanical parts they had bartered for.  

 “Someone called Shiro a pedophile.”  Hunk explained.  

 “The _fuck_?”  

 “Pidge, language.”  Shiro chastised them, then winced.  That was another mark against him.  

 “No, seriously, what the quiznak?”  Pidge frowned, ignoring Allura’s protest that the change of word technically wasn’t any better.  “Why the hell would someone say that to you?”

 “I’m, I’m older than you… and a leader…” Shiro stammered.

 “Bullshit!”  

 “Pidge…”

 “No, I gotta go with Pidge on this one,” Lance said.  “That is some grade A bullshit right there.”  

 “Lance, please…”

 “I think if we can be trusted to defend the goddamn universe, we can be trusted to make our own romantic decisions.”  Pidge said.  

 “And you’re barely older than us.”  Keith said.  “Your hair turned white because of _stress_ , and probably druid magic  You’re not _old_.” 

 “Not to mention stress takes its toll on the body,” Lance added.  “High levels of stress have a negative effect on people’s health and appearance, making people look and feel older.  That’s, like, basic health 101 right there.”  

 “But--” 

 “Nope, no buts.”  Hunk pushed a finger against Shiro’s lips.  “Now come on, I think we’re done with this market.  We got our supplies, now let’s go back to the castle-ship.  Team mom is calling a mandatory cuddle pile.”  

 “Yeah, with space dad in the middle.”  Pidge grabbed his arm.  “Now _scoot_.”  

 Shiro let them steer him away, still feeling a little shaken by the events.

**Author's Note:**

> The paladins are the founders and current co-presidents of the Shiro Protection Squad and nothing will convince me otherwise.
> 
> Like, for pete’s sake, people, every group of friends has the mom/dad friend. That doesn’t mean you literally view that friend as a paternal figure. It usually just means that’s the person who can be counted on to have snacks or bandaids in their bag or push crackers at you when you’re drunk or points out that maybe it’s not a great idea to try a backflip off the roof into the swimming pool. My friend group has someone we call our “con dad”; does that mean we see him as a father, or even a fatherly figure? No, it just means he’s in charge of the room keys and can be counted on in case of a disaster while we’re at conventions (plus he brings the most booze).
> 
> Grow up, people. Leave the salt in the ocean and sit in the shade for a while, for goodness’ sake.


End file.
